Oosthuizen surges to 3-shot lead at British Open

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen putts on the 13th green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
— AP

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen putts on the 13th green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
/ AP

Australia's Adam Scott lines up a putt on the sixth green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)— AP

Australia's Adam Scott lines up a putt on the sixth green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)
/ AP

Australia's Adam Scott reacts to a missed putt on the sixth green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)— AP

Australia's Adam Scott reacts to a missed putt on the sixth green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)
/ AP

Australia's Adam Scott watches his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)— AP

Australia's Adam Scott watches his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)
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Spain's Miguel A Jimenez reacts after missing a putt on the sixth green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)— AP

Spain's Miguel A Jimenez reacts after missing a putt on the sixth green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)
/ AP

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen walks the 13th fairway with caddie Zack Rasego during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)— AP

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen walks the 13th fairway with caddie Zack Rasego during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
/ AP

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen lines up a putt on the 13th green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)— AP

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen lines up a putt on the 13th green during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
/ AP

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen plays a shot from the 14th tee during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)— AP

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen plays a shot from the 14th tee during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday, July 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
/ AP

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland 
In a country known for playing golf in the worst of conditions, the British Open was halted Friday because of high wind.

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen surged to a three-stroke lead Friday, but the second round likely would be remembered for the most unusual stoppage.

Despite sunny skies mixed with puffy white clouds, officials decided the Old Course was unplayable because the wind was gusting to 41 mph, causing balls to wobble on some of the exposed greens, especially those along St. Andrews Bay.

Play was suspended 1 hour, 5 minutes at midafternoon, shortly after Phil Mickelson finished his round in brutally tough conditions and Tiger Woods had teed off.

The last wind delay at the British Open came at Royal Birkdale in 1998, when winds reached 40 mph, forcing a 38-minute stoppage during the second round.

During Friday's break, some players returned to their lounge near the first tee to wait for conditions to calm. Caddies lounged on a grassy knoll, munching on sandwiches and bananas. Some fans claimed a patch of ground and caught a nap.

Oosthuizen, a 27-year-old from Mossel Bay whose given name is Lodewicus Theodorus, shot a 5-under 67 for a 12-under 132 at the midway point of the tournament. He pulled ahead of Rory McIlroy, the 21-year-old Northern Irishman who tied the major-championship record with a 63 on Thursday.

The weather made it a typical British Open roller-coaster of a day. The early starters found blue skies when they arrived, but heavy rains rolled in shortly after the start of the round. The sun peeked through the clouds again, then more showers struck just before noon.

The players, it seemed, spent as much time reaching for their umbrellas and rain gear as they did for their clubs.

"I got up this morning and it wasn't looking real pretty at 4:30," said 50-year-old Mark Calcavecchia, who played in the first group and became the latest old-timer to contend at the Open. "It was actually beautiful when we teed off. Then we saw a little bit of everything."

Oosthuizen (WUHST'-hy-zen) wasn't worried about any of that, and he was already done when the wind started to blow around lunchtime.

"I'm very confident with the way I'm playing," he said. "It's probably the position anyone wants to be in playing a major on the weekend, and I think it's what we work to achieve, and I'm just very happy with the two rounds I put together."

There was nothing to indicate he might contend at golf's oldest major championship. He missed the cut this year at the Masters and the U.S. Open, and did the same at last week's Scottish Open.

This is only the second time he'll make the cut in nine major appearances. The other time, at the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, he finished last among those playing on the weekend. But he did claim his first win on the European Tour this year, earning a spot at Augusta National.